Our staff are beginning to dream about the summer months after what seems like record snowfall for the month of February. With our attention shifting to summer planning, we’ve started sharing with each other about what working at camp means to each of us. This will be the first in a series of “What Working at Camp Means to Me” posts. Up first: John Celley, Facilities and Operations Director. 

Camp jobs have always meant opportunity for me. They have given me opportunities to travel, to learn something new, to meet new people, and to change lives. I love opportunity so much, that I worked at camp seasonally for nine summers before I settled into a full-time job.  I credit my experience in various roles at camp for everything I have today. I learned to teach, I learned to lead, and I learned how to connect with people from all walks of life. I made a network of friends across the entire country, and I had the best times of my life.  

A summer at Upham Woods will give you all the opportunity you can handle.  You will be challenged and rewarded daily. You will make lifelong friends while learning life lessons. You will learn to scramble and be flexible. You will be involved in every aspect of one the best summer camp programs in the country. The professional staff at Upham Woods takes the training and development of our seasonal staff seriously. Our training program emphasizes teaching skills, leadership, critical thinking, risk management, and fun. You will leave here knowing what it takes to succeed wherever you might go. You will also have great time with a close-knit group of staff who share a common mission.

Camp work taught me what I needed to succeed. It focused my energy towards a career that I love. Over that decade, I personally led conservation program for over 10,000 campers, and I managed seasonal staff that reached over 200,000 more. Every day, I use the skills I learned at that camp to make Upham Woods the best place it can be. Camp changed me.  Let it change you.